Nicholas Xiarhos honored, mourned

BOURNE - A slow-moving, horse-drawn carriage brought Marine Cpl. Nicholas Xiarhos to his final resting place at the Massachusetts National Cemetery this afternoon in Bourne.

CAPE COD TIMES

BOURNE - A slow-moving, horse-drawn carriage brought Marine Cpl. Nicholas Xiarhos to his final resting place at the Massachusetts National Cemetery this afternoon in Bourne.

After a procession that began from the Centerville funeral service this morning, the coffin was transferred from a motorized hearse to the carriage inside the cemetery. A brief graveside service followed and "Taps" was played.

The weather at the cemetery fit the mood of the day: Skies were overcast with a brisk breeze with rain drizzles and intermittent rumbles of thunder.

Xiarhos, 21, a graduate of Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, died last week after being mortally injured in a roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan.

This morning, hundreds gathered to honor the life and mourn the Xiarhos' death at a funeral service today at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church of Cape Cod.

Uniformed servicemen, family members, friends, police and fire officials, U.S. Senator John Kerry and Gov. Deval Patrick were among those in attendance. Burial will follow the service at 1:30 this afternoon at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

Watch video of today's burial ceremony

One of two eulogists at the service was Marine Cpl. Andrew Coville, a longtime buddy of Xiarhos' and fellow serviceman.

"I felt sick to my stomach, I still do," said Coville of the moment he learned that Xiarhos had been killed. "How could this have happened to Nick. We thought we were invincible."

Coville and Xiarhos served in Iraq at the same time. When Xiarhos found out Coville had been assigned to Afghanistan, Xiarhos changed units so he could go to Afghanistan as well, Coville said.

The two had plans to go to college together when both were discharged in 2010, Colville said. Coville flew from Afghanistan to attend the service after strings were pulled by Kerry.

Watch video of the funeral at St. George Greek Orthodox church

Family, friends and others crowded the church's small sanctuary for the service. The smell of incense permeated the air. A community room was also full of mourners, who watched the service on a projector screen.

The hearse with Xiarhos' body arrived at the church shortly after 10 a.m. followed by a car with Xiarhos family members. As mourners waited to enter the church, mournful Greek music wafted from the church. Then a Marine honor guard carried the casket into the church and mourners began to file inside.

Watch video of the wake and interview with Steven Xiarhos

Traffic jammed the roads in the area of the church this morning, a repeat of the huge crowds that attended yesterday's wake at the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School in South Yarmouth and who lined the route of Wednesday's procession when Xiarhos' body was returned by plane to Cape Cod.

Due to limited seating space inside the church, the family had requested that those who wanted to pay their respects do so by lining the funeral procession route to the Bourne burial site.

The procession began after the church service concluded before noon.

Times staffers Eric Williams and Stephanie Vosk reported from the funeral and cemetery. This story was written by Online Editor Gregory Bryant.